Fun-loving families can find plenty of entertainment and activities in the heart of Connecticut’s major cities—Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, and Waterbury. Goodtime getaways can be as simple as heading into town for a day in the city. Here are just a few of the attractions for kids and adults to explore in the heat of summer.

Bridgeport – Everyone feels like a child when viewing the hand-carved Brinley Miniature Circus at the Barnum Museum (www.barnum-museum.org, 203-331-1104) on Main Street. See memorabilia from the life of master showman P.T. Barnum, and the industrial and social history of Bridgeport. Take in the Discovery Museum and Planetarium (www.discoverymuseum.org, 203-372-3521) on Park Avenue for hands-on physical science exhibits, planetarium programs, the Challenger Learning Center, and summer programming for kids. Your family can enjoy 300 North and South American animals at the Beardsley Zoo (www.beardsleyzoo.org, 203-394-6556), the state’s only zoological center, on Noble Avenue. If you’re a family of history buffs, you’ll find 3,000 structures that are on the National Registry of Historical Places. Bridgeport is the “park city” and offers you such gems as Seaside and Beardsley Parks. Sports fans can head to Harbor Yard for a game of the Bridgeport Bluefish (www.bridgeportbluefish.com, 203-345-4800), the minor league baseball team. Or check out activities at Captain’s Cove Seaport at Black Rock Harbor (www.captainscoveseaport.com).

Hartford – For only $1 you can ride a 92-year-old carousel with horses and chariots at Bushnell Park (www.bushnellpark.org, 860-232-6710), the nation’s oldest public park, located between Elm and Jewell streets. There’s an adjacent play and learning environment with a fascinating story area near the Jewell Street entrance. Are you science buffs? There’s a life-size model of a sperm whale, an idea zone where children’s minds can play, and a Kid’s Factory for four- to seven-year-olds at the Science Center of Connecticut (www.sciencecenterct.org, 860-231-2824), located on Trout Brook Drive in West Hartford. This summer a special Magic School Bus exhibit promises more than 30 hands-on activities, including Scholastic’s Magic School Bus Weather Observatory and the Walkerville Weather Center. For history, tour the Mark Twain House and Museum (www.marktwainhouse.org, 860-247-0998) on Farmington Avenue. And young artists in your family will appreciate the wide collection of art books for kids in the admission-free Museum Shop of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum (www.wadsworthatheneum.org, 860-278-2670).

New Haven – From June 10 to 24, you’ll find family-friendly events at the International Festival of Arts and Ideas (www.artidea.org, 888-278-4332). Year round, the Connecticut Children’s Museum (www.childrensbuilding.org, 203-562-5437) offers a literacy and arts-based environment for playing and learning most Fridays and Saturdays. And even kids are ready for Yale University. There’s a self-guided tour that encourages hunting for architectural details and designs for children—as young as age 6—and their parents (203-432-2302). Or head to the beach, where Schooner, Inc. (www.schoonerinc.org, 203-865-1737) offers not only sailing on the Long Island Sound, but environmental-based summer camp programs for kids. Take in a game of the New Haven County Cutters (www.cutterbaseball.com, 203-777-5636), a baseball team in the Can-Am League that plays at Yale Field. But whatever you do with your day, don’t miss the pizza in the city’s Little Italy! New Haven is credited as the birthplace of American pizza.

Waterbury – The Timexpo Museum (www.timexpo.com, 203-755-8463) on Water Street tells not only the story of Timex, but presents a time tunnel that leads to ancient mysteries, hands-on exhibits, craft activities, and computer interactives. There’s a watertable of the Pacific Ocean and kids can experiment sailing boats with and against the currents. For a fun time on the weekend, trek to Thomaston for the Railroad Museum of New England (www.rmne.org, 860-7245), home of the Naugatuck Railroad, for scenic train rides or to take the controls with a locomotive engineer (you must be 18). On August 4-6 and 11-13, families can ride the rails on Thomas the Train when the museum brings the storybook engine to Waterbury.

Springfield for Families Kids will enjoy seeing the Grinch, Horton, and the Cat in the Hat as bronze sculptures at the Dr. Seuss National Memorial at the Quadrangle in Springfield, MA (State and Chestnut Streets). Six Flags of New England, the largest family theme park in the area, might call to your family, with entertaining rides for young children and thrilling ones for your family’s daredevil (www.sixflags.com/parks/newengland, 413-786-9300). Lovers of round ball will want to take in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (www.hoophall.com, 413-781-6500) on West Columbus Avenue, a state-of-the-art sports museum with interactive opportunities to compare your skills to the great men and women of the game.